Are you desperate to get your Switch to speak to your New Horizons villagers, collect Pokemon or just relax with another one of their games? But then notice your Nintendo Switch won’t turn on? Most of us have been there at one time or another. The Nintendo Switch can easily be fixed most of the time with one of these easy fixes. With users finding fixes such as unplugging the Switch charger from the power and then replugging it in or giving their battery a long charge to be successful.

However, if you are struggling to get your Switch back up and running, don’t worry, we have the answers to help you get back to your gaming.

Causes for my Nintendo Switch won’t turn on

Nintendo Switch won't turn on

Image Credit Pixabay

If you are attempting to fix your broken Nintendo Switch, we have some easy fixes in order to get your Nintendo Switch back up and running again. If you are unsure how your Switch broke,  here are some of the reasons why your Nintendo Switch may not be turning on:

  • Low battery
  • An issue with the power supply
  • Faulty cable
  • Issues with the operating system
  • HDMI cable is faulty

How to fix a broken Nintendo switch that won’t turn on

Photo by Kevin Williams from Pexels

If you are unsure why the Nintendo Switch won’t turn on, or for another one of the reasons above, then these simple troubleshooting tips are an ideal way to get your Switch back up and running. We’d recommend going through all of the fixes until you find the device works, ensuring you have tried all possible methods.

Fix 1. Let it charge

If you are using a dock to charge your Switch be sure just to pop it in the dock and let it charge for 15 minutes before playing. This may solve your issue with your Switch not turning on. However, if you are using a Switch Lite, plug your charger into a power socket and allow around 20 minutes for this to charge.

Nintendo advises using an official charging cable during this process if possible.

Fix 2. Try a soft reset

After charging your Switch for a while, if you are still unable to turn it on, the next step would be to try a soft reset. The purpose of a soft reset will help to close any programs that may have caused your Switch crash. If you are unsure of how to do a soft reset of your Nintendo Switch here’s how:

  1. Hold the power button for 15 seconds
  2. After 15 seconds, release the button and allow the console to start up.

If you are still having issues with your Switch turning on after a soft reset, next we’d recommend moving on to trying a hard reboot of the Switch.

Fix 3. Hard reboot

Although this option may not sound ideal, if you are unable to get your Switch to turn on after the above methods, the next step is to hard reset your Switch. Essentially this will perform a factory reset on your Switch. However, Nintendo has made a way for users to not need to empty their Switch. If you are unsure how to do a hard reboot here’s how:

  1. Ensure your Switch is off
  2. When switched off, hold the volume up (+) and the volume down (-) followed by the power button to try turn on the Switch.
  3. You should keep holding the- + and – until recovery mode appears.
  4. Once recovery mode appears, choose ‘Restore Factory settings without deleting save data’
  5. Go ahead and choose this, then click next, and save.
  6. The whole process may take a few minutes, once reset this should then work again.

Are you having other issues with your Nintendo Switch such as the 2110 code? Here’s what the Nintendo Switch 2110 code means?

Can’t turn on Switch with Pro Controller

When playing your Switch on the TV, using the Pro Controller should make turning on your Switch even easier.

If you’re unsure of how to turn on your Switch via the Pro Controller, here’s how:

  1. Plug your Nintendo Switch dock into an electrical socket
  2. Connect the dock with an HDMI cable to the TV
  3. Place your Nintendo Switch into the dock, be sure to make sure this is firmly in place.
  4. Press the home button your Pro Controller, this should flash through a cycle of lights
  5. When there is a solid green light you should feel a vibration, then the Switch should turn on.

Dead Nintendo Switch won’t turn on

It can be frustrating when you go to play your game on your Nintendo Switch and it won’t turn on, however, it is worth noting that may not be broken. If you haven’t used your Switch for a while the battery may have lost its residual charge.

The fix for this is to plug your Switch in for at least an hour to charge, even if you notice your Switch turn back on at this time, it is recommended to let your Switch fully charge again.

Switch Lite won’t turn on

Pro Controller Not Turning on

If you have a pro controller for your Nintendo Switch to your purchased for enhanced gameplay, the last thing you want for it is for it to be faulty.

Some reasons may your controller may not turn on:

The battery is depleted

If you attempt to use your controller on your TV and it doesn’t seem to work, this may be due to your battery being ‘depleted’. This happens when your battery has no amount of charge within. The best way to fix your issue is to let it charge fully. This takes around 6 hours.

It’s also important to note that your Switch will have a red light on the front panel if it is charging. Without this, your device isn’t charging.

Faulty cable

Nintendo recommends using one of their official cables when charging your Switch controller, this is likely to function better and charge your controller quicker. If you believe your Nintendo cable isn’t working, you can use another USB-C charger.

Conclusion

We hope you have been able to find a fix for your Nintendo Switch won’t turn on issue. However, if you have been unable to successfully resolve this problem, you can send your Nintendo Switch off for repair. To find out more about this Nintendo process click here.